Open-heart surgery causes injury of the heart muscle. Although this is usually mild, temporary and reversible, if it is severe it can endanger life and require additional high cost care. During surgery, techniques are used to protect the heart from injury, but these remain imperfect. Patients with a thickened wall of the heart (left ventricular hypertrophy) may be at greater risk. This study assesses the effect of facilitating sugar metabolism (a more efficient fuel) by the heart muscle using the drug Perhexiline given before the operation.

This treatment has a sound experimental basis for improving outcome. If this improvement is confirmed surgical results could be improved. The investigators will be studying heart function, heart muscle energy stores and chemicals which quantify the amount of heart muscle injury. The investigators' hypothesis is that Perhexiline will improve the protection of the heart by decreasing damage that may occur during heart surgery.

Renal impairment with Creatinine greater than or equal to 200micromol/L

Atrial fibrillation

Amiodarone therapy, recent (in last month) or current

Hepatic impairment, significant preoperative

Peripheral neuropathy

Pregnancy or breast-feeding

Emergency surgery or required on clinical grounds within 5 days of referral

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00989508